Internal-combustion steam-motor.



E. P. NOYES. INTERNAL COMBUSTION STEAM MOTOR.

AFPLIOATION TILED I' EBZ3, 1907.

Patented 111.31, 1911.

UNITED s'rATEs- PATENT OFFICE.

nnwann r. NOYES, or wmcnns'rnn, uia ssacno'snrrs, assrenon, BYMEsnnAssmN- MEN'IS, To 0. 2. POWER, compan OE- nawanx, NEW JERSEY, ACORPORATION on NEW JERSEY.

INTERNAL-consumma-STEAM-MOT R.

Patented J an. 31, 1911.

ternal-Co1nbustion Steam-Motors, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to internal-combustion engines of the explosiveor other intermittciit-combustion type, and more especially to thoseoperating under very high maximum pressures which are expanded down bystages in a plurality of working chambers or cylinders. 1

The obJect of the invention is to utilize aconsiderable portion of the.heat which passes out through the walls of the combustioneha'mber, andto this end I-prcferably pro "vide the high-pressure or ex)losion-eyllnder avith a water-puxhet having a steam space fronr'whichthe steam generated by the heat of the explode-d charge is led into thesame low-pressure engine in which the burned gases discharged from theexplosionengine are expanded. In tl. steam line from the waterjacket'tothe low-pressure engine, {propose to use a. suitable pressure-controlleddevice,

such as a check-valve, which will permit. the

passage of the steam only when the latter has attained the requisitepressure, and I may also employ a separate cut-oft valve for the steamentering the 'low-p ressure engine in order that said steam may actexpansively. 1

The accom 'ianying drawing illustrates in a diagrammatic fashion a'motorapparatus embodying my invention. a

l is a crank-shaft having three cranks, 2, 3, 4, connected respectivelywitlr the pistons of a low-pressure charging air-conipressor 5, ahigh-pressure explosionecylinder 6 and a low pressure expansion cylinder7. The

high-pressure engine as shown is .Of the twocycle internal-compressiontype, and is charged from the compressor 5 by way of a pipe 8 in which ian inter-cooler 9 to suppress compression-temperature for the pre-'ention o'f preignition, and a ca-rbureter 10 to rendcnthe chargecombustible. A conduit ll carries the exhaust gases under 0011-siderable pressure from the ex )losion-cylnder 6 to the low-pressurecyl-ln er 'I, winch from the explosion-cylinder 6.

I consider it' preferable, when this engine is direct-connected to theshaft l as' shown, to provide it with a valve mechanism which admits theexhaust gases-to the cylinder '1' throughout the whole ora fixed partofthe stroke of its piston. Any suitable type of stea1i1-engi1ie valvemay berprovided for the purpose and it will be unnecessary to refer n1-dctail to this feature. it will also he understoodthat the gasesentering cylinder 7 -1nay, if desired, receiie a variable cutffanalogous to the practice in steam-engines. 12 is an eccentric foroperating the valve for admitting the burned gases and exhausting thecontents of' the cylinder on the backstroke. I v I p '13 is thewater-jacket .of' the explosionlatter is of the steani-el ig ine:type,although cylinder 6 extended through a shortpipe 1% I into asteanrand'water drum lawlnch has a return-circulating connection withthe bottom of the jacket-by means of 'a downtake conduit 16. Water ispumped into the jacket under pressure through a pipe 1'? under controlof a feed-valve 18 which is operated by a float. 19 in the drum 15 so asto maintain the water at a substantially constant level. and establish asteam space above its surface in the drum 15; Autoinatic regulation of.the water-level is of course not essential though very desirable. Asteanrpipe 20 carries steam from the drum 1 5 into the valve-chest ofthe low-pressure expansion-cylinder 7 and I prefer to. employ a separatesteam cut-ofii valve 21 operated by an eccentric 22 in order that thesteam may be used expansively. This valve may be governed in anysuitable way in accordance with current steamengine practice. Steamhaving greater heat-capacity and a slower pressure-dro 'ain the cylinderthan dry gases, it is preferred 'to have separatelycontr-olled valvesfor the two as shown, although obviously this is not essential sinceboth steam and gases may be.controlled and cut off by the same valvemechanism. I further employ a check-valve 23 in the steampipe 20 whichopenswhenevcr the passage to the cylinder 7 1s clear and when the steamhas acquired a pressure slightly above the pressure of the gases insaid'chest coming An explosive engine organized on the comto attain veryhigh maximum explosion pressures which make it advisable to conduct theY expansion process and preferably also the compression process in aplurality of stages as set forth, and this fact I have rofitably emloyed in order to make use or the heat WlllCll would otherwise escapethrough the walls of the explosion-cylinder, the idea beingcarried outby boiling the jacket-water and carrying the steam into the samelowpressure cylinder or engine with the prodnets of combustion, themanner whereof has been made evident by the foregoing description. Itmay be mentioned that the hot ases' mixing with the steam which enters te low pressure cylinder have a tendency to super eat said steam' andprevent condensation in said cylinder; It will be evident withoutspecial illustrationgthat any portion of the exhaust-conduit 11 leadingbetween the'low-pressure and higlj1- ressu re expansion-cylinders may beinclude within tho-water-ja'cket of the high-pressure cylinder, and Imayinclude in the water-circuit the water-jacket of the co'mpressor 5 or awater-jacket provided on the cvlinder .7. I have not illustrated suchmodification,

however,'since it is unnecessary ordinarily to include these jackets; iThe compound explosive cycle and apparatus for performing the same assetforth are not herein claimed apart from the combination thereof with aacket boiler. latter combination and its described accesseries form thesubject of my present invention. I

I am aware that it is not new to boil the water in the jacket of acombustion cylinder and cause the resulting steam to per-- form workeither in the same cylinder or in an added low-pressure cylinder, and Ido not claim nove ty for this idea in abroad sense. Heretofore however Ibelieve that all such proposals have either failed to substantiallyincrease the efficiency or have required extra cylinders, condensers,etc., not essential to the economical performance of the dry-gas cycleand usually 'if not always overbalancingin extra cost and weight theslight theoretical gain in efliciency, Furthermore, such engines, whenof the type which mixes the steam and gases, have com monly beenobligedto use the steam through only a small pressure-range. The noveltyof my invention consists principally incombiniug. the steam cycle withan internal-combustion cycle which will per.- mit the steam to expand toor nearly to atmospheric pressure from an initial admission pressure(namel thatof the low-pressure engine) well a ove the atmospheric, andin genera tine the steam with heat which flowsthrough the jacket wallsand would 5 otherwise so to waste. It therefore requires This f thesteam and gases to be used together in a low-pressure engine after saidgases have performed all thc work of which they are capable in thehighpressure combustioncylinder, and it also requires that the high-.ressure motor shall be capable of: exhaustmg against a substantialback-pressure in orderthat the steammay be used at an initial pressurewhich will give an economical degree of expansionthcreto. From theseconsiderations it follows that my invention in its preferred and mostdesirable embodiment employs an explosion cylinder having means forcompressing into its combustion space a charge which initially. (that isat atmospheric pressure) exceeds the volume of the combustion cylinderitself. The number of cylinders is only such as would be es sential tothe economical performance of the dry-gas cycle itself, but owin to theuse of jacket-generated steam the e ciency of the combined cycle isquite considerably augmented.

I claim 1. In a combined explosive and steam motor, the combination ofcompressing and exploding devices having means for compressin thecombustible charge in stages, and inc uding a high-pressure workingexplosion cylinder, a steam-generator jacketing said cylinder and heatedthereby, said generator having a water inlet, and a steam outlet leadingto the low-pressure motor, means for establishing the water-line in saidgenerator below said steam outlet, and a low pressure motor connected toreceive at considerable pressure and further expand as a mixture theexhaust gases and steam from said high-pressuie cylinder and generatorrespectively.

2. A combined explosive and steam motor comprising a high-pressureexplosion cylinder, a steam-generator jacket-ing said cylinder andheated thereby, said generator having a water inlet and a steam outlet,means for establishin the water-line in said generator below saipressorof greater volumetric capacity than said explosion cylinder forcharging the latter under pressure, and a low-pressure motor connectedto receive the exhaust of said high-pressure cylinder and also connectedto the steam-outlet of said generator, whereby said low-pressure motorreceives at considerable pressure and expands a mixture of hot gases andsteam.

3. The combination of an intermittentcombustion engine cylinder, asteamenerator j aekcting said cylinder and heate there-. by, a low'pressure engine operated bythe exhaustfromsaid cylinder, a conduitconnecting the steam space of the generator with the lowpressure engine,and a pressure-controlled valveimsaid conduit adapted to open,steani-pas sage thcrethrough when the steam outlet, a comsteam pressureis sufficient to overcome the ress ure of the burned gases from the com-Eustion-eylinder.

4. A compound il'lternal-eombustion motor 5 comprising a higl'l-pressmecombustion-engine, a low-pressure expansiox'l-el'lgine,a eondnit' forconducting the burned gases between the two, :1 steam-generator forminga waterjacket for the high-pressure engine and heated thereby, a steamconduit connecting said generator with the low ressure engine,

set my hand in and a cut-bivalve mechanism in said steam eonduitoperated by the low-pressure engine.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR H. BROWN, A. C. RATIGAN.

